


The Rose that Blooms in the Window

by shipambrosia_bree



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blue Lions Route, F/M, Gen, I love Ferdinand von Aegir, Most of the black eagles and blue lions students are mentioned but dont speak, because thats what i did my first playthrough, edelgard is probably a little more cruel than she normally was in the game but shes a fun villain, fernadetta, hubert is exactly the same, thats why hes the hero of this story, this is ferdinand/bernadetta joining dimitri's side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 18:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21001865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipambrosia_bree/pseuds/shipambrosia_bree
Summary: When Bernadetta flashed before his eyes, Ferdinand gritted his teeth and turned his horse around, making his way back toward Enbarr.At least Edelgard would not be expecting him to show up on her doorstep.





	The Rose that Blooms in the Window

**Author's Note:**

> I started shipping this pair before the game was released as a VA joke (Shield Hero, anybody?) but then I actually got the game and was blown away by their supports and their relationship. Ferdinand is also easily one of my favorite characters, if not THE favorite in the game, so writing for him was so incredibly easy and before I knew it this fic had 10k words.
> 
> Please, let me know what you think! Especially about a certain fight scene, I am always looking for feedback on my fight scenes because I want to be sure I'm writing them well. You'll know it when you see it.
> 
> Also, a little fun fact: one day in-game I went to talk to Ferdinand, who was standing in his room. Because they put the gifts you give them in their rooms, I noticed he had put the roses I gave him in his window. That's how I came up with the title for this fic. It makes me think of a poem he would write about Bernadetta.

Ferdinand von Aegir, heir to the illustrious House Aegir of the Adrestrian Empire and next in line for the title of Prime Minister, did not simply doze off in class. At least, that was what he told everyone else when he had been caught.

Their professor, true to his nature, had not even been mad at him. Instead, he was only concerned for Ferdinand’s health and whether he was getting enough sleep at night; then used it as a reminder to the class that they could come and speak to him whenever should anything be troubling them. Ferdinand was ever interested in being the center of attention, but he wanted it for his noble deeds, not for something like this. Dorothea, of course, jumped on the opportunity to make fun of him and point out how he was always going on about nobles being the perfect students. Linhardt assured him he could help find the perfect places to nap outside of class. Caspar and Petra offered to wake him up should they ever see him dozing off again. Hubert probably insulted him. Surprisingly, Edelgard made no comment on his blunder. And Bernadetta? She took no interest in the situation.

It was cruel irony, since it was her fault he had dozed off in the first place.

Ever since he had arrived at the Officer’s Academy, Ferdinand had been curious of her. When he heard the daughter of Duke Varley was to be attending the academy alongside him, it would have been hard not to pique his interest - he was almost just as curious as he had been when he learned the Imperial princess was to be attending as well. Some years previously, his father had negotiated a marriage arrangement between Ferdinand and the only daughter of Duke Varley. He had never gotten the chance to meet her, and found it particularly odd that the duke would marry his only heir into another one of Adrestia’s largest noble houses. Ferdinand had always known his duty as the heir of House Aegir and future Prime Minister would also include marrying whatever lady his father had deemed most beneficial for their house, but the rumors surrounding the young woman terrified him, and he had to beg his parents to reconsider. But the same young woman attending the Officers’ Academy with him? The rumors about her being a doll-cursing, shut-in witch could not possibly be true.

It had only gotten more confusing when he introduced himself to Bernadetta von Varley and she made the same squeak as an anxious, frightened animal. Despite being absolutely sure he had never met her previously, even at one of the many parties his father had taken him to, Ferdinand was also excruciatingly sure he would never have done anything to frighten her in such a way. As a young man who prided himself on his personal conduct as a noble, this reaction frustrated him. He soon realized that Bernadetta treated the rest of their classmates in much the same manner, and that she skipped as much of the outdoor training as she possibly could. He began to understand that much of the rumors he had heard about her were indeed true. While the doll-cursing appeared to have no merit, he could not help but still be worried. But what bothered him the most was that she did not appear to know who he was.

Of course she knew his house; even before the marriage proposal, House Aegir and House Varley worked closely as two of the biggest houses in the Empire. But it was the fact that she did not seem to know he had almost been her fiancé that irked him in a way he could not quite explain. Perhaps that was what prompted him to seek her out during one of their free weekends.

Ah, and what a disaster that had been. Not only had he nearly incited her into a panic attack, but his actions and their argument had caused him to sprain his wrist; something obviously not desirable for someone training to be a knight. Bernadetta had then panicked further that she angered him, calling them “eternal rivals” something or other, and ran off. Her subsequent avoidance of him on and off the battlefield most definitely was what knocked them both out of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, something which would eventually cost Edelgard the battle to Prince Dimitri’s house. 

After their house leader had promptly chewed both of them out over the mistake, Ferdinand went to Bernadetta’s dorm to apologize, and that is where his woes truly began. The kindness and swiftness with which she had accepted his apology, as well as insist he was a worthy nobleman surprised him. Her apparent resigned delight to making him laugh upon her most “graceful” ending to her point caused him to realize what a good person she really was, far better than he. He nearly fell down from shock when the doors to her room opened, revealing a somewhat-embarrassed but smiling Bernadetta who thanked him for his concern and effort on her behalf.

“Let’s work together during our mission next time!” She chirped, happier than he had ever heard her.

His pulse quickened, heart suddenly pounding loudly in his chest. It had never quite dawned on him how pretty Bernadetta was until she stood before him shining brighter than anyone ever had before (he must have stared too long though, as she had quickly panicked, shut her door in his face, then apologized meekly from the other side).

That was most certainly how he found himself in class later, eyes drifting from the chalkboard of the professor’s drill maneuvers to the back of Bernadetta’s head where she sat a few rows ahead of him. Since considering the possibility that he could have a small crush on his fellow classmate, Ferdinand could not help but find himself wondering what being Bernadetta’s husband would have been like if they had gone through with the proposal. He wondered if her father had ever even told her about it. At this point, it seemed unlikely. And as his mind continued mowing over these ideas, he hardly even noticed his eyes closing until...

“You should get some rest for the remainder of the day, Ferdinand,” it was the target of his affections, who approached him after class while everyone else was leaving. Bernadetta held out her notebook to him. “You look really tired, but I know how much of a perfectionist you are... so you can review my notes if you like.”

“Ah?!” He sat up instantly, worried he was making a fool of himself - before it occurred to him that doing so only made him look further like a fool. “Ah... thank you, Bernadetta.”

She recoiled a bit at his sudden movement, but then calmed herself quickly and offered him the best anxious smile she could manage. “We have another mission coming up, it would not do well for you to go in half asleep. We already have to worry about Linhardt.”

His eyes widened. Was she willingly speaking to him? Making jokes about their perpetually half-asleep classmate?

“O-of course not,” he nodded enthusiastically. “Do not concern yourself over me! I shall be in top shape before then. I must just be... staying up too late studying recently.”

“Okay,” she seemed to be satisfied with his answer. “I’ll see you later.”

Ferdinand let out a long sigh once she had left, trying to calm his fluttering heart. He supposed he had never really had an interest in a girl before, even as a child, so he had not known his reaction would be so unbecoming of him. Luckily, the classroom had emptied out while they were talking so no one had witnessed his odd behavior except Bernadetta herself. With that, he tucked the notes she had given him away and gathered up the rest of his things.

“I had never imagined you could be interested in anyone but yourself, Ferdinand.”

He shuddered as he turned around to face the voice, a voice he knew a little too well belonging to his house leader and the future emperor of Adrestia, Edelgard. Standing behind her as ominous as ever was Hubert, although he instantly noticed the silent retainer looked somewhat more amused than usual. They had witnessed the entire exchange.

Ferdinand deflated. Absolutely fantastic. The last two people on the continent he would ever want to see something like that.

“Ha! You jest me, Edelgard,” Ferdinand answered brightly, attempting to hide his nerves. “Of course I do not only care of myself! That would be entirely unbecoming of my station as the most noble of nobles, would you not agree?”

“The noblest of nobles, is it?” She repeated, before shaking her head. “You are not so difficult to read, you should know. But don’t you worry, your secret is safe with us.”

“As long as you cease bothering Lady Edelgard with meaningless competitions,” Hubert added menacingly. “Then Bernadetta will not hear a word of it.”

He let out a panicked gasp, not unlike those which Bernadetta so often did under stress.

“A joke, of course,” the older student continued, though a dark sparkle in his visible eye still made Ferdinand rather nervous.

“Very well, we shall see you for training later today. Let’s go Hubert,” and with that, his two classmates left Ferdinand alone to ponder what exactly was their point in speaking to him.

Feeling a headache beginning to gather around his temples, Ferdinand finished gathering his things so he could promptly head back to his dorm room, deciding that he would probably skip afternoon practice for today. Hopefully he could at least pay attention long enough to get through Bernadetta’s notes. He opened up the notebook as he left the classroom to shift over her delicate handwriting, only to almost drop the book in the mud when he saw what she had written at the end of the lecture.

“_Thank you for everything you’ve done for me! Hope this helps! - Bernadetta_” signed with a heart after her name.

As he struggled to compose himself, Ferdinand could not have realized the arsenal he had gifted Edelgard by allowing her to hold his secret to herself for years to come.

~

Fodlan was poised to be consumed by war. He had seen it once before, five years ago, when Edelgard assaulted the monastery and dissolved the Church of Seiros. Ferdinand thought it was all over. He was wrong.

It had been five years since he last saw his classmates from the academy. Five years since Edelgard revealed her plans. Five years since Prince Dimitri first showed his true, bloody nature. He’d taken his place as the head of House Aegir, taking up the struggle to restore the lands and power that Edelgard had stripped away from his father. But the messenger who arrived at his manor did not bring news of his success; instead, he was given an ultimatum from the emperor.

“Lord Aegir, you are to send your troops and the support of House Aegir to Her Majesty, Emperor Edelgard, or the Aegir family will be dissolved indefinitely,” the messenger read for him. Ferdinand stood there, hardly reacting - on the inside though, he was horrified. Angered. She hadn’t given up on the conquest. She wanted to force him into the war that she had created, something he himself could not believe in.

“Her Majesty also wishes to inform you that all five of the other ministry houses have already submitted,” the soldier continued. “And that all your classmates from your time at the academy are at her side already.”

This information also disturbed him. House Bergliez, Caspar’s family, who ran the military, that was no surprise. Caspar’s father and elder brother lead the house, so Ferdinand’s former classmate had no say in the matter, and Linhardt passed on his inheritance to House Hevring so that he could continue researching Crests; yet they had both still been called to Edelgard’s side. Hubert was the least surprising, since he had helped Edelgard’s assault on the monastery and served her since they were both young. But Petra, and Dorothea too? And of course, Bernadetta’s inclusion did not go unnoticed to him either.

“No,” he said through gritted teeth. “My answer to Edelgard is no. She will not have my support, nor will she have any men from House Aegir.”

“She will send men to arrest you. Kill you, if you resist.”

“Then you may deliver this message as well -“ Ferdinand jerked his chin up as he looked down at the man, refusing to bow to an emperor he no longer saw as worthy. “She will have to come kill me herself.”

With his resolve solidified, Ferdinand dismissed the messenger, who rode off back to Enbarr. Sure, he could have arrested the man, even killed him; but the message it would send was all the same. And he was going to make sure she understood that she no longer held any respect in his eyes.

But he knew the messenger was right, and he could not stay in Aegir. With his father imprisoned in Enbarr and the rest of his family unfit to lead the house, abandoning his position meant seceding House Aegir completely to Edelgard. She had mostly taken power from him anyway, with someone else handling the day-to-day affairs of the people who lived there. It wasn’t that hard logistically to leave, but it was also one of the most painful experiences of his life.

Ferdinand also knew the smartest thing to do would be to flee west and seek asylum from Claude, who had taken over House Riegan and was leading the Leicester Alliance. However, the journey to Derdriu would be dangerous because the territories of the Alliance that bordered the Empire supported Edelgard, and would certainly turn him over to her if he was caught. The Kingdom was significantly farther and was also in its own state of chaos over supporting the Empire or remaining sovereign, but traveling north through the Oghma Mountains to join with the eastern rebelling nobles would be significantly safer for both himself and the small group of subordinates who had decided to leave with him. That was what he knew he should do.

But there was also one thing keeping him anchored in Adrestia. One single reason; with a fondness for purple and gold, and kind, caring dark eyes - a girl with a fear of people, yet who had opened up to him like a flower blossoming in the spring. When Bernadetta flashed before his eyes, Ferdinand gritted his teeth and turned his horse around, making his way back toward Enbarr.

At least Edelgard would not be expecting him to show up on her doorstep.

~

“What do you mean House Aegir still refuses to support me?” The woman in the center of the room, dressed in a cape of red all the way to the floor, demanded the assembly. 

It was all unnecessary of course. House Aegir’s status as Prime Minister had been removed, and all governing power had been taken away. Just as the duke had done to her father, Edelgard had effectively made House Aegir nothing but a figurehead. She would receive troops whether or not she received their support. But it was the fact that the current head of the house refused to join her that really angered the emperor.

Bernadetta fought every urge in her to flinch at Edelgard’s cold, harsh tone. She had grown and changed so much over the years since leaving the Officer’s Academy; yet when Edelgard imprisoned her father once again and demanded Bernadetta return to the capital with her, she had been much too frightened to refuse.

On her left side sat the only two people who could sympathize with how she was feeling, Caspar and Linhardt, who fought alongside her to defend the Monastery the first time Edelgard brought the Imperial army against it. She knew they felt the same as her, that this war Edelgard had started was wrong for so many reasons, but none of the three of them could bring themselves to object.

So when she heard Ferdinand had refused, Bernadetta had been horrified. She could feel their gazes on her in an instant, just as Edelgard turned to her when Bernadetta made a terrified squeak. The room of advisors grew deathly silent and she felt herself more than anything wishing she could die.

“Do you have something to say about this, Bernadetta?” Hubert asked her when she did not continue speaking.

“I... I... never mind! It’s nothing!” She blurted, feeling the panic rise and her voice rising an octave like it did when she was under intense stress. It certainly did nothing to make her seem innocent.

“Nonsense, you know I wish for you to speak freely here, Bernadetta,” Edelgard said, leaning forward in her chair with a chilled gaze that bore into her. “Did you speak to Ferdinand on this matter?”

She knew the tone. Edelgard wanted answers. And there would be repercussions if she didn’t give them. Her body started to tremble.

“N-no, but... there must be some mistake,” she spoke slowly as she clasped her hands tightly to her chest. Bernadetta had not seen Ferdinand in the five years since returning home upon the defeat of the monastery’s forces, but his face appeared in her head now. That was where the bravery to speak up finally came from, she realized. Ferdinand’s confidence had always perturbed her, until they became friends. “Ferdinand wouldn’t do that.”

Something in the emperor’s expression flashed, and she looked toward Hubert. Her retainer nodded, as usual the pair able to exchange dozens of words in a single glance.

“I suppose the old Ferdinand would not have,” she spoke cryptically. “But he has changed. If he has decided to taunt me, I can only imagine that he intends to run from House Aegir. Very well, if he wants to play a game of cat and mouse, I will play. And I will not lose. We cannot allow him to join up with the Church of Seiros, the Alliance, or the rebels of eastern Faerghus. Send out the order to the Empire, and to all our supporters in Gloucester and Fhirdiad - Ferdinand von Aegir is a fugitive, and is to be brought before me. If he resists capture, they may take the necessary lethal action.”

Bernadetta gasped, ever so softly. Her body went rigid when she felt a hand rest on her arm, only to find it was Dorothea, who offered her a sympathetic smile. A blush spread across her face, though she herself didn’t really know what it meant.

Edelgard’s cold gaze drifted over each and every one of her officers seated there with them, and Bernadetta hoped it was her imagination that Edelgard’s gaze drifted over her just a bit longer than everyone else.

She stood up. “That will be all then. You are dismissed.”

Bernadetta stood up instantly, wanting to make herself scarce as quickly as possible, but she was stopped at the door by Hubert.

“Her Majesty would like a word with you privately,” he told her.

She was acutely aware of the feeling of the blood draining from her face.

“Okay,” she barely squeaked out as stars dotted her vision.

“Now hold on-“ she heard Caspar start from behind her, but Linhardt shushed him. Under Hubert’s intense gaze, the two of them continued out of the room quietly, followed by Dorothea and Petra, and Bernadetta watched her last hope disappear from before her eyes.

“You really must stop thinking of me as some sort of monster, Bernadetta,” Edelgard spoke up from behind her. “I am still your friend. And I’m sorry if my orders upset you. But try as I might, things have changed. Ferdinand is one of them.”

She gulped and nodded.

“Good. Would you care to join me for a walk?” She gestured to the hallway out of the advisory room.

Bernadetta glanced once more up toward Hubert, and back to emperor, before she agreed meekly. Edelgard might kill her herself, or Hubert could kill her from behind where she couldn’t even see the attack coming. Silently she made her peace and tried to come to terms with the very real possibility of her death for speaking out.

They walked for some time in silence, just the two of them, until they were well down one of the hallways.

“Let me make myself very, very clear, Bernadetta,” Edelgard spoke up once they were absolutely alone, some few feet ahead and Bernadetta stumbled to match the emperor’s steps. “Ferdinand is a traitor to the Empire now. He must be caught and brought before me before he can escape to Faerghus or the Alliance forces. We must not underestimate him either. He knows much about how I lead my troops and how I run the Empire internally. I cannot allow such things to land in the hands of my enemies. He is also incredibly talented, that is something I am personally, acutely aware of. If you have any personal reservations on this matter, you must sever them.”

“Is there no way you can convince Ferdinand to join you?” She couldn’t help but blurt out. Bernadetta cowered when Edelgard’s expression tightened.

“No. He is far beyond that,” the emperor turned away to continue forward. “If he contacts you, Bernadetta, you will let me know immediately. Do you understand? There will be problems if you do not.”

“Y-y-yes! Yes I understand!” She gasped, recoiling instinctively.

Edelgard did not seem to notice, however, as she simply replied “Good,” before continuing on her way.

Left alone in the hallway, Bernadetta finally let herself break into tears. Messy, sobbing, nearly hyperventilating cries that echoed in the great hall. Normally, she would be mortified to be found like this, but there was something about everything she was feeling right now that made her forget about her anxieties. She was so scared for Ferdinand. She wanted to know he was alive. She wanted him to have been the one to escape the empire. With Ferdinand at their side, she was certain one of the other leaders could defeat Edelgard.

“Bernadetta!”

She looked up in shock as her name hissed through the air, quiet and soft and not at all how anyone here in the castle called for her. Confused and a bit frightened, she looked around the hall frantically for the source. There, from the shadow of one of the pillars by the edge of the room, she saw movement. A hand reached out to beckon her toward its source, before a man’s head leaned forward too; a face she recognized, with ginger hair and familiar, comforting confidence in his amber-colored eyes.

It was all her strength to keep from screaming his name at the top of her lungs.

Bernadetta threw her arms around his neck as she tackled him, forcing Ferdinand to take several steps back to catch himself from falling over; though his soft laughter in her ear showed that he enjoyed the gesture. New tears cascaded down her face, but they were happy ones; joyous, that she would get to see him, her dearest friend.

“What are you doing here?!” She gasped suddenly as reality came crashing back down, looking Ferdinand up and down. His confidence and his very smile had not changed one bit. Though his hair was long and his clothes befitting the noblest of knights, he was still the boy she had known from the monastery, whom she had trusted above anyone else.

He seemed to completely disregard her question however, as he reached up to take ahold of her face in his hands. “You have changed much, Bernadetta. It is wonderful, you are glowing.”

The look he was giving her, eyes shining and intent on her, instantly overwhelmed Bernadetta with its tenderness and she felt her voice as it began to rise to a squeak. “Ferdinand- I... please!”

This seemed to snap him out of whatever he was thinking of, and he let go of her and took a step back. Though she felt herself able to breathe again, she felt cold without him so close.

“My apologies,” he mumbled.

“I-I’m sorry!” She blurted out. “I’m happy to see you! Really!”

Ferdinand looked back up to her face, flashing that smile again that she had missed so much. “I know. That hug you gave me said as much. But I wonder why you are here, in Enbarr, and not at the Varley manor?”

She played absently with her toe in the carpet, trying to look anywhere but up into his face. She felt a funny warmth in her chest because of him. “Caspar, Linhardt, and I were all called here. She keeps all three of us very close. Caspar said it’s because Edelgard and Hubert trust our abilities more than anyone else, but I’m certain it’s just so she can watch us. I- I mean, we... we were so shocked when we heard you refused to support Edelgard!”

“Ah, I see.”

“You shouldn’t be here, Ferdinand!” Bernadetta exclaimed, the same terror from earlier taking over. “If you’re looking to change Edelgard’s mind, I’m afraid it’s just too late for that. She has a reward for any information on your whereabouts, let alone should they find you-“

“I am not here to change Edelgard’s mind, Bernadetta,” he cut her off suddenly, something he did not ever do and it surprised her. “I know she is far past abandoning her plans. I came here to get you away from her. Maybe Caspar and Linhardt, too, if it is feasible.”

She stared at him for a long time, before finally opening her mouth. “M-Me? Why did you come for me?” Her voice tweaked up into a squeak again.

“There is something I should have told you a long time ago... but once Edelgard revealed she had been the Flame Emperor all along, things started moving and they would not stop,” he sighed, looking off forlorn. “And then my House was-“

“We probably don’t have much time, but you could tell me now,” Bernadetta insisted.

She watched as a gentle blush spread across his face again, and it was the first time that Ferdinand, the epitome of confidence, avoided her gaze. Despite that, a gentle smile crept onto his face. “Would you ever consider becoming the Lady of House Aegir?”

“House Ae- b-but that’s your House!” She gasped.

“Bernadetta, I-“ Ferdinand started, but he was cut off by the sound of metal against metal, and then a commanding voice cut through the hall.

“Are just as predictable as you have always been,” Edelgard interrupted.

From where she was standing, and despite all the dread that had instantly washed over her body, Bernadetta turned to look toward where her voice had come from. The emperor was standing on the other side of the room, and once her presence had been made aware of Edelgard started walking toward her two former classmates. Her Hero’s Relic, Aymr, gleamed red in her hand at her side.

“Welcome back to Enbarr, Ferdinand,” Edelgard greeted coldly. “It has been some time since you were last here, hasn’t it? You never even congratulated me on my ascension to emperor. I thought at the very least my old rival would have enough honor to do that much.”

Bernadetta heard him scoff behind her at the mention of their rivalry, which had been mostly one-sided on his part. Edelgard was mocking him.

“I returned to Aegir to rebuild my House,” He answered. She had never heard him sound like that before, so cold. It only frightened her more for what was about to happen.

“And I allowed you to, even after you stood with the archbishop at Garreg Mach, and even after everything your father has done to my family. And yet still, you will not pledge your loyalty to me?” She stopped a few feet in front of the meek young woman in the room, though the emperor’s gaze went straight through Bernadetta toward the young man standing behind her.

“It was you who stripped my father of his power! You dissolved my house! Why would I swear fealty to you?” Ferdinand’s voice grew steady once more. “I have always been proud of my family’s name, despite how much my father and I may have disagreed, and I will not abandon it.“

“You understand then, that I cannot allow you to leave this palace alive?”

The sound of unsheathed metal echoed from behind her, and Bernadetta’s eyes widened as the reality of what was about to happen struck her. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to stop Edelgard from killing him when a hand firmly grasped her arm and pulled her back. She watched as if the world slowed down as Ferdinand stepped in front of her. In his hand he was wielding the Spear of Assal, gifted to him by Seteth and their professor five years ago when Edelgard had declared war on the church. She remembered him on the frontline beside Prince Dimitri and Sylvain, wielding the sacred weapon of Saint Cichol against his own country. She had been so overwhelmed by seeing him again that she had not even noticed he had brought the weapon. 

“Ferdinand, don’t fight her! You cannot win!” Bernadetta begged him. 

Where normally Ferdinand would have stopped, would have dropped everything to do anything she had requested of him, or that he might turn around and assure she was alright when she spoke like that, he did no such thing.

“I do not have a choice,” was his answer.

Edelgard straightened up at first as though she did not expect to be challenged by him, but realization settled in her eyes and she too, prepared herself for the duel. “Protect her all you want. She will have to be executed as well for clearly being more interested in hiding you than telling me of your presence.”

Bernadetta bristled. First he had asked her if she would ever consider being the lady of his family’s house, and now he was doing this to protect her? No! No, it couldn’t be like this! She was not going to let him destroy himself for her!

She saw Ferdinand glance toward her over his shoulder for a moment, but his eyes immediately went back to Edelgard’s weapon. “Leave her out of this! She had no idea I was here.”

“You say that, and yet you cannot realize that you have walked right into my trap?” The emperor shook her head, as if disappointed. “I remembered all those years ago at the monastery how close you two were. I remember how flustered she made you. I will give you some credit where it is due, however. I thought you would go to the Kingdom or Alliance first; but I knew you would come for Bernadetta; so I made sure to bring her to Enbarr in case you decided to stand against me, as you have.”

Even with all the confusion and panic swirling around her head, Bernadetta instantly caught on to what Edelgard had revealed. “You _used_ me?! You used all of us!”

She cast a cold, unflinching glance behind Ferdinand toward her. “I have always said that I would make whatever sacrifice I needed to achieve my goals. I knew you were close, and yet I still gave you a chance Bernadetta, to choose the correct path.”

“Enough!” Ferdinand shouted, and suddenly rushed the emperor in front of him, swinging his weapon in a wide arc to bring down on top of her.

Edelgard used the shaft of her axe to block his strike, and retaliated mercilessly. She instantly forced her opponent on the defensive. Ferdinand spun his spear in front of him to block her attacks, each one causing the two weapons to ring out harshly as they clashed and forcing his body to recoil a bit, even though he was bracing himself for each one.

Bernadetta felt simply awful, as she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. She had her quiver with her but not her bow, must have left it somewhere in her earlier panic after first learning Ferdinand was not going to join the Empire. She knew Ferdinand was a smart fighter, the closest of their former classmates to match Edelgard’s skill, though that was only to say he was the closest and that they were not equally matched. He was going to need help. The only person who she was sure could beat Edelgard was their former professor, who had disappeared five years ago. There was also Prince Dimitri, but that was probably more of an even toss up.

As she watched, Ferdinand caught one of Edelgard’s strikes closer to his chest, and for a moment Bernadetta panicked, fearing that he might already be losing steam; until Ferdinand slammed the blunt end of the spear into Edelgard’s armored torso. It did not seem to hurt her, though it stunned her enough to allow Ferdinand to move back from her range, closer to Bernadetta. She could see it in the way he was standing; Ferdinand knew he had no chance to win, yet refused to yield. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but willed them to stop. _Not now, Bernie! That isn’t going to help Ferdinand! You have to find him a way out of this!_

“I am pleasantly surprised, Ferdinand,” Edelgard spoke to him, and Ferdinand’s head instantly snapped up to her face again. “Normally our duels would be over by now. You’ve gotten much stronger.”

“It is because I cannot lose to you here. I cannot afford a mistake,” he stood his ground, preparing to fight once more.

“You’re right. You cannot,” she agreed, before her expression suddenly hardened. “Neither can I!”

They both saw it. After years of training for these things, the professor having taught them to look for the subtlest cues in their enemies, both Ferdinand and Bernadetta saw the way Edelgard’s eyes shifted ever so slightly toward something to the left of them just as they felt the air darken with magic power. Both found themselves looking toward Hubert, who had silently made his way into the room and was now swirling a spell in his hands before firing it toward them. His target was not Ferdinand, who Edelgard was fighting, but Bernadetta.

She was also smart enough to understand why, and silently hoped Ferdinand wouldn’t do what all three of them knew he would.

Bernadetta braced herself as Ferdinand shoved her out of the way of Hubert’s attack, taking the brunt of it to the armor of his shoulder. She was relieved that the spell did not seem to hurt him much, but the moment of relief was cut instantly short. She saw the flash of crimson from behind him, silhouetting him in a halo of red the color of blood.

“Ferdinand!” She cried, trying to warn him in time.

He ducked out of the way of Edelgard’s Relic, but not fast enough to dodge it completely. Ferdinand gasped in pain as the Aymr caught him in the side, the jagged edges of the weapon collecting his blood on them like the fangs of a beast. Bernadetta rushed forward immediately to support him as he stumbled, though the Spear of Assal did not leave his hands. His tunic had been torn by the axe, granting full view to the gash in his side. It was shallow, but still look horrendous and painful. The nature of the Relics, she realized as she began to tremble, to more effectively kill.

Hubert chuckled darkly from where he stood on the other side of the hall. “As pathetic a showing as ever, Ferdinand. I cannot fathom how I ever had an ounce of respect for you. This is what happens to those who stand against Her Majesty.”

Bernadetta was doing her best not to panic, but they were both in incredible danger now that he had been wounded. “Ferdinand! Why?!”

“This is nothing- ngh!” He tried to leave her arms, but the pain was plain on his face as he flinched. Still, Ferdinand got to his own feet, and held the spear toward Edelgard once more. “I will not stop fighting until I am dead on the floor!” His voice was strong, determined, and angry.

The look that the Adrestian emperor gave him now held dismayed pity. “Why even raise your weapon at all then? I have landed the first blow. You know I have already won.”

Ferdinand glared at her. “Because I will not give up. Ever. Especially because you threatened Bernadetta!”

Edelgard approached him and brought her axe down once more before he could react, straight down on his spear intentionally. There was so much strength behind the strike, that it brought Ferdinand down to one knee and knocked his weapon from his hands.

“Then you will die a lovesick fool. If nothing else, I have always respected your convictions,” she raised her axe once more. Edelgard’s expression was disappointed and remorseful, but still unflinching. “Goodbye, old friend.”

“No!” Bernadetta cried desperately. _This is all my fault! Ferdinand would have escaped to Faerghus if he hadn’t come back to get me!_

An arcane presence suddenly filled the air, similar to when Hubert had first arrived, but without the ominous presence of his dark magic. The emperor was stopped by the sudden advent as a silvery-green wind swirled around her. The tempest trapped her in its vortex, and knocked her back, out of reach where she could execute Ferdinand.

“What-?!” Even her surprised gasp was cut off by a war cry they all knew too well.

“HRAAAAH!” Caspar came leaping at her, brandishing his signature poleaxe in both hands as the wind magic disappeared from around Edelgard. She used Aymr to block the strike, but was nevertheless shaken deeply.

“Caspar? What are you doing?” Her eyes were wide in surprise.

Bernadetta watched as a sparkling white light enveloped Ferdinand where he was kneeled in defeat, the nasty wound he had suffered stitching itself closed under healing magic. Even he looked up in surprise and confusion. So Ferdinand had not planned this intervention.

“I do so greatly abhor blood, Ferdinand,” Linhardt said in his usual bored tone as he made his way into the wide hall as well. “Do try your best not to get struck while protecting her in the future.”

“Hey Bernadetta!” Caspar called. “Catch!”

To her surprise, the warrior produced a bow that had been strung around his shoulders and threw it to her. Though she stumbled trying to catch it, once the bow was in her hand she was instantly at ease. By instinct, in one smooth motion she spun as she strung up an arrow and loosed it toward Hubert who had been preparing a longer, more powerful spell. He hissed in anger when the arrow buried itself in his shoulder.

“I just shot Hubert?!” She squeaked, her voice rising in pitch as she stared in shock at what she had done.

Ferdinand got back to his feet, grabbing his spear. “Caspar? Linhardt?” He questioned, as if he could not believe they had come to his rescue. “Have you gone mad?”

“No way!” Caspar snapped.

“Perhaps,” Linhardt shrugged.

There was a grunt as Edelgard righted herself once more, and both Ferdinand and Caspar instantly got back again in preparation for an attack. Bernadetta followed their lead and notched another arrow.

She glared directly toward the two who had joined the fight. “How dare you betray me, just like them!”

“What you’re doing is wrong,” Caspar spoke defiantly. “We have always thought so!”

“I didn’t really care.”

“Linhardt! Really not helping.”

“Foolish, the both of you. Do you desire death?” Hubert snapped as he walked forward, pulling the arrow from his shoulder without flinching, more magic crackling between his fingertips. “Executing traitors like you is beneath Her Majesty. I will have no problem with removing you myself!”

Bernadetta squeaked in fright once more, but instead this time when Hubert attacked Linhardt blocked all of his spells seemingly effortlessly.

“It must be awful, losing to me,” he said with a little smirk.

“Finally!” Caspar exclaimed.

“Enough!” Edelgard commanded, slamming the pole of her Relic into the ground. “I feel as though you four fail to realize the gravity of what you have done. You are betraying your country, your families, everyone that you care about here. You are turning your backs on the future that I strive for. A world that will be built anew, without the influence of the Church of Seiros. We will be free of the chains that they, that the Crests have placed on us! You truly wish for Fodlan to remain the way things are?”

“I do not think that is your decision to make,” Ferdinand answered in dismay. “You have plunged Fodlan into a bloody war, and all because you feel you are more right than anyone else? Think of all the people who have suffered from this! Perhaps I could have joined you if I agreed with your methods but... some of the things you have done have been extraordinarily dishonorable. Despicable, even. Do you not see that, Edelgard? There are ways to enact change without staining your soul black! You, as emperor, should especially see that!”

“How dare you talk to me about what I can do as emperor!” She scoffed. “You, and your family, who have always been so sinfully proud of your own worth. Your father led a coup and turned my father into nothing but a formality, a puppet leader. Your father ruined my life. I will not stand here and be lectured by you. I see now that even when I swore before I would not hold back against you, Ferdinand, that I have been still doing so. But no longer! You are not my old friend. You are a threat to my future!”

Before anyone could move again, however, a soldier appeared from another hallway and approached the group with urgency. “Your Majesty! I- what... what’s going on here?!”

“You! Why you have left your post?!” Hubert snapped at him.

“Th-the front gate has been breached! The castle is under siege!”

“What?! From who?!” The emperor exclaimed in anger.

“They fly the banner of the Prime Minister!”

“House Aegir?!”

“Ferdinand, did you know about this?” Linhardt asked him rather nonchalantly, but the young man who currently led the house looked bewildered.

“My men! I told them to continue on to Faerghus without me,” he looked down. “They disobeyed my orders, but it seems as though they have secured our only means of escape.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?!” Caspar yelped. “Let’s go!”

Hubert instantly moved to pursue them, but stopped when his liege called for him. When he looked back to her, Edelgard was shaking her head.

“Let them go. It isn’t worth all the trouble they’ve caused,” she spoke somewhat solemnly. “The siege will cease once they’ve left, I’m sure. We can send some troops to track them, but even if they make it to Faerghus, I doubt they will be of any more use than more soldiers on the frontline against Cornelia.”

“But Your Majesty-“

“It’s fine Hubert,” she said again, voice set harder this time. “Faerghus is losing. Claude’s charade is almost up. I let my personal feelings take over too much here. I gifted Ferdinand with more significance than he has. I just-“

Her voice broke and she instantly stopped talking, afraid of what would come next. But Hubert could see it, he was one of the few people who had seen this before.

“No matter where you go on this path, I shall be beside you,” he reminded her. “Even if it were into Hell itself.”

“Thank you Hubert,” she answered softly, gratefully, as she stared off where the four people whom she cared about very much, who had just turned against her, had disappeared. “It seems you are about all I have left.”

~

It was a chilly night camping out in the Oghma mountains, which the small group did in relative silence. He hissed through his teeth as his wound was tampered with once more, even though it had been magically closed he knew it was still going to hurt for a few days. The cold was biting against Ferdinand’s skin and he pulled the blanket he was using to shelter himself a little closer around his shoulders, but still trying to prevent it from getting in Linhardt’s way as he properly wrapped Ferdinand’s magically healed wound. His hope was to be able to put his tunic and coat on as soon as he possibly could, but Bernadetta had generously offered to mend the tear in his clothes while they were not in use.

He could not help himself as his eyes kept drawing back over to her, magnetized by how she had changed since the last time he saw her; five years ago, after they had left the monastery. He found her beauty, which had always been so understated, only noticeable when the shrinking violet fell away to a beautiful rose, shone much more now than it ever had and it made his heart race. What a fool he was, claiming to love her but never trying to reach out to her in the last five years. Did he even have the right to express such feelings toward her now?

As her fingers nimbly stitched the cloth in her hands back together, he noticed her glancing up toward him several times, cheeks flushed pink. It was incredibly charming, and it also gave him a mixture of happiness, flattery, and satisfaction that was mostly indescribable. Until suddenly, Bernadetta got to her feet, her face bright red.

“I-if you’re going to look at me like that, at least put your shirt back on!” She yelled and threw the dark tunic at him. Bernadetta gathered up his coat and swiftly walked away, shrieking softly under her breath.

Ferdinand blushed deeper, embarrassed to have forgotten he was half-exposed for everyone to see and his gaze had not wandered from her once.

“Well that was quite an amusing little show,” Linhardt chuckled, finishing at that moment and stepping away that Ferdinand might be able to slip the shirt over his head. It instantly made him feel warmer, but he knew that would not last long without his coat and so he kept the blanket.

Caspar, who was sitting in front of the fire stuffing his face with their rations, swallowed so he could talk. “I know! You’d think that the two of them being together would change her a little. Maybe it’s because the two of us are here?”

“Together?” Ferdinand echoed in confusion. “You could not mean romantically, could you?”

“You mean you and Bernadetta aren’t a couple?”

He coughed on the water he had just brought to his mouth for a suspiciously long moment. “Ah, no. I am afraid you are mistaken. Bernadetta and I... are not involved like that.”

“Really?” Linhardt sounded mildly surprised. “A pity. I only helped you out in the castle because Caspar insisted you two were in love.”

From a distance, Ferdinand could hear a high pitched _“Love?!”_ from the direction the young woman in question had ran off to. He gave a sigh. Any semblance of secrecy he might have still had was completely gone now.

“Linhardt! There’s no way that’s the only reason you helped them.”

“You’re right,” he yawned. “I’d like to see the professor again, and I’d bet anything he’s with Prince Dimitri right now.”

“I would appreciate it if the two of you dropped the subject,” Ferdinand spoke in a lowered voice now that he knew she could hear them. “It is... complicated.”

“Oh? Well that only makes me want to discuss it more.”

“Honestly, you are unbelievable! Hey, are you gonna eat that?”

“I see you have not changed one iota, Caspar. I’m glad.”

As the two of them continued to go back and forth as though nothing had changed since their days at the monastery, Ferdinand got to his feet. He knew she would probably be scared, but he felt that the best course of action now was to speak to Bernadetta. Or he at least wanted to hear her speak again, the same way she had when she first saw him in the Enbarr palace.

He found her as he expected not far from where they had been sitting around the fire, just out of sight. She was mumbling to herself as she sewed with a renewed pace. Ferdinand internally groaned, knowing no matter what he did, he was about to spook her once more. He watched as she pricked herself with her needle.

“Ow! Not again,” she bemoaned, and brought her finger to her lips.

Seeing this as good a time as any, he spoke up. “Mind if I join you now?”

Bernadetta visibly panicked, then calmed down just as quickly. “F-Ferdinand! Don’t scare me like that!”

He watched as her blush intensified again, and Ferdinand smiled. “You seem cold over here, away from the fire. I thought I would bring you the blanket.”

“B-but I have your coat. Don’t you need it?”

He chuckled. “Do you have any issues with sharing it with me?”

Near the end of their year at the academy, Bernadetta would have had no problem. She might have even asked him about doing such a thing herself then, they had grown so close. But now he could see things between them had changed drastically, as more panic flickered across her face. Though finally, after an awful, heart-pounding silence, she nodded.

“O-oh-okay,” Bernadetta answered very slowly. “But no funny business!”

He chuckled nervously to himself as he sat down beside her, throwing the other side of the blanket around her. His arm remained around her, tucking her in against his side, but Ferdinand was surprised when she leaned her head back against him. Her ear was right by his heart, surely she could hear it pounding within his chest. It almost drove him mad, the way she messed with his confidence and nerves. It was all about nonexistent with her like this.

“How are you feeling?” He asked her, voice unintentionally soft and tender.

“How am _I_ feeling?” She repeated, her fingers already deftly getting to work on his coat again. “I’m not the one who fought Edelgard and almost got killed by her! How are _you_ feeling?”

“About as good as I can after such an ordeal,” he heaved a sigh. “But I asked because well... I had already decided I was going to stand against Edelgard, knowing full well that she would try to kill me. You... you were just thrown into it. For that I am sorry.”

“No, no, it's probably the best thing that could have happened. I disagreed with everything she was doing, but there was no way I could stand up against her. Not like you, Ferdinand. You’re amazing! But you’ve always been that way.”

The unexpected praise caught him off guard, but he felt his chest swell with pride. Of course hearing how great you are would boost anyone’s ego, but hearing it come from her lips, well... made him feel like there was no one on the planet he could lose to, including Edelgard, Dimitri, or the Professor. Still...

“No, I am not,” he answered. “You said it yourself, Edelgard almost killed me. She would have, too, if Caspar and Linhardt had not intervened.”

“But the only reason she was able to get the jump on you was because you were protecting me. If I hadn’t-“

“Bernadetta, if you had not been there,” Ferdinand sighed, feeling his broken pride wash over him once again. “Edelgard would have defeated me with her first strike.”

She stared at him. “Th-that’s not true! You were always at the top of the class, always had high marks in the tournaments, always someone the professor counted on during our class’s missions!”

“But I have always been chasing behind Edelgard,” he reminded her. “I have never been her equal. For some time I thought so, but I was sorely mistaken. And after learning that she was Flame Emperor all along... I knew that she had not even be fighting with half of her strength. Will I be able to stand up against her at all? Of that I am not sure.”

They sat together in silence after that, and Ferdinand kicked himself silently for saying such things. He was probably only making her anxiety worse, and he had come over to her to calm her down, maybe even get her to smile. He knew that she looked to him for reassurance. Like the days in the academy, and how he would drop everything to comfort her if he saw her not doing well.

“I am,” Bernadetta spoke him, surprising him. “You are strong Ferdinand. You’re a leader, and like Edelgard said, no one has a stronger resolve to what they believe in than you.”

Funny, how he found her comforting him now. Ferdinand could not hold back a smile once more. “Thank you.”

“Um, about what you were saying before,” she broke their gaze, looking down as she finished patching the tear in his coat. “In the castle?”

He cleared his throat nervously. “Yes?”

“Was now a good time to say it?”

Ferdinand pondered this for a moment. He thought of all the things he wanted to tell her; all the flowery poems he had thought of in his head about her, the warmth that built in his chest with her nearby, the relief he felt when she was safe, how he would go through everything he went through in the Enbarr Palace a thousand more times if it meant keeping her safe. She had to know how he felt, already; between asking her if she would ever become the lady of House Aegir, and Linhardt expressing his assumptions that they were in love. Bernadetta knew.

But he could not find the strength to say it out loud. Not yet.

“You are like a rose, Bernadetta,” he mumbled to himself as he looked up toward the night sky, toward the stars. “I do not think now is the right time. Once the war is over, once Edelgard has been stopped and we can focus on other things, then I will tell you.”

“Okay...” her face was flushed the color of rose petals. “I will look forward to it.” 

She then tried, and failed, to hide a confused yawn from him.

“Get some rest,” Ferdinand insisted of her. “We still have a long way to go to Faerghus. I appreciate you mending my clothes for me.”

“Of course,” she yawned again, then looked up toward him. “Ferdinand do you mind...?” she trailed off, but he knew what she was asking.

“No, not at all.”

Still appearing unsure, Bernadetta tentatively laid her head back against him. He watched her face, lovely as it was, as her eyes closed and her breath slowed to a steady, quiet hum. She trusted him. That was all he needed to keep moving forward.

Once Ferdinand was sure the young woman lying against him was asleep, against his better judgement he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“I swear when this is all over I will tell you I love you,” he mumbled, heaving a deep breath and staring back up toward the stars. It was the last month the Blue Sea Star would be visible in the sky, the goddess’s star twinkling down at him from above.

Uncharacteristically, Bernadetta held herself back from making any noise. Instead, she smiled.

~

When Ferdinand found himself once again staring down the blade of a weapon in the hand of a Fodlan royal, he did not flinch. Prince Dimitri’s expression was cold. It was not a levelheaded, measured cold like Edelgard, but one brimming with hatred and anger. Bernadetta made a soft cry of distress behind him, and it was only then that he bristled.

“How do I know you will not betray me? How do I know you are not spies for that woman?” The prince snarled.

Ferdinand looked around at the others present. Felix’s teeth were gritted, looking extremely frustrated; Sylvain’s eyebrows were knitted together in concern, eyes flitting between the two parties every few seconds; Ingrid was staring intently at Dimitri, also appearing distressed; Annette and Ashe both wore uneasy smiles, caught in a tug-of-war between being happy that everyone was together again, to learn that Dimitri was in fact alive, but disturbed by the shell of a man he once was that they had found here; Mercedes looked as though she were trying not to cry, gasping loudly when the prince had pointed his lance threateningly at Ferdinand. And the professor... how strange it was to see the professor, not looking a day older than the last time Ferdinand had laid eyes on him, in the last moments as he was sent tumbling over the side of the monastery’s wall and plummeting down the mountainside. He really should not have been surprised at this point that the professor could survive such a fall.

Ferdinand’s eyes snapped back to Dimitri’s face. “I suppose you do not.”

“Are you trying to make me kill you?” He sneered.

“Your Highness, even in your thirst for vengeance you must see how you need all the help you can get,” Ferdinand answered calmly. “We are here because we want to see Edelgard removed from her throne.”

Dimitri was unmoved. “I don’t need a group of her potential lapdogs.”

“He’s got a point,” Ferdinand heard mumbled from behind him.

“Yeesh Linhardt, giving up already?” His other companion snapped.

“I-is he going to kill us?!” Bernadetta stuttered. Dimitri may have lost one of his eyes, but the gaze he gave all four of them was intense. Surely, the prince was making Bernadetta incredibly anxious. Ferdinand knew he needed to finish this up before Dimitri induced her into a panic, because then he knew he would just angry with the prince and they would get no where further.

“Let me make myself very clear, Prince Dimitri. Rather than accepting a role as her puppet, I left. I will fight to topple the Empire,” Ferdinand did not back down, meeting Dimitri’s gaze with matching intensity. “I will stop Edelgard, even if it costs me my life.”

He felt it in his chest as he spoke the words out loud for the first time; this was how he truly felt. Even when he heard the horrified gasp behind him, Ferdinand did not turn his back on the prince. He watched Dimitri’s face shift to something akin to shock, and then acceptance.

“I see the same fury within me reflected in your eyes. You desire revenge as well. How amusing,” an amused grin spread across the prince’s face. “Very well, I will permit you four to join us. But I will be the one to kill her.”

Bernadetta did not stay after Dimitri conceded. While Linhardt and Caspar and Ferdinand casually made conversation with their old classmates and the professor, and as much as she wanted to talk to the professor herself, she couldn’t bring herself to stay. The world was closing in on her and she felt it becoming harder for her to breathe. She rushed out of the room, and made her way to her former dorm room at the monastery, her one certain place of safety, where she could pick up the pieces of her heart that Ferdinand’s promise to Dimitri had smashed it into the ground.

How had anything changed since their private conversation that night? How could he swear to throw his life away just like that? How could he do so after promising her something to look forward to after the war? How could she love someone so cruel?

There was nothing that scared her more than the thought of losing him.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I wanted to do like a whole confession but then I realized that I was trying my best to keep this in canon which means their A support couldn't have happened yet so... I tried to leave room for it. Which I think this works because they were both so happy, almost flirty in the A support but at the same time awkward? So it's like, they already know they love each other they just haven't said it yet.
> 
> Follow me at my tumblr, @ship-ambrosia for more crazy shipping stuff and lots of Three Houses! I love all ships, and I'm always looking for more!


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